Marcia Kilgore of Bliss Spa

Went to see Marcia Kilgore, a good Prairie girl from Canada speak last week at Canada House in London. What an amazingly creative and passionate business woman. Thank you Marcia for the inspiration.

Alcohol & Nutritional Damage

Alcohol and Nutritional Damage

Regular drinking may lead to blood sugar problems, weight gain and eventually other serious health problems such as diabetes, obesity, liver cancer and alcoholism. Alcohol depletes the body of nutrients in many ways. Firstly, it is a source of great amounts of sugar in an instantaneous hit. Like sugar, alcohol can be rapidly turned to fat by insulin, the hormone responsible for blood sugar control. This is deposited in the body and stored in the liver, which may damage it, adding to a failing ability to balance blood sugar. When blood sugar levels are low, alcohol is often used to raise them, kicking off another vicious cycle. Secondly, the ethanol that causes intoxication is, by its very definition, toxic to the body and causes damage to all the liver’s detoxification pathways. The liver works overtime to eject it, but the alcohol itself actually depletes the very substances needed to speed it out of the body. Thirdly, it directly depletes vitamins and minerals, especially those needed for energy and dealing with stress such as B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and chromium.

Next Time...... Nutrients which may be depleted include:

www.positivelyslim.com

Yes, you can exercise when it snows!

So, yes you can exercise when it snows outside in the UK. I went out for a fabulous winter walk this afternoon in the weather you see in this video. Layering of clothing is important so that you are warm but don't end up getting cold because you are sweating (Clothing layering for winter entry coming soon!). Proper footwear is essential so your feet are toasty and the soles keep you from slipping. One little tip is: if in a park walk on the grassy areas as you will be on the snow with grass underfoot which is less slippery and gives some traction rather than the sidewalk/pavement with concrete and ice. Other than that you can get out the front door and walk to your hearts content and your body will love you for it! Take a friend or loved one for conversation or go alone and just breath and be. Easy, cheap and fun too! And you don't have to slog it out at the gym. Hope you discover the joys of being outside in winter too.

Charlene

www.positivelyslim.com

The Pineapple

Finally some Nutritional Information for our loyal readers. All acknowledgement to my amazing business partner Charlotte Watts. Thanks honey.....



We often associate pineapples with the island of Hawaii, but they only arrived there in the 1700s. It was the Spanish who actually had the good idea of carrying pineapples on long sea voyages to avoid scurvy, a disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C. It is also believed that they were only introduced to the Caribbean when washed ashore from the wrecks of Spanish ships. When Christopher Columbus made his second trip to the Caribbean in 1493, he called the pineapple the “pine of the Indies”, as it resembled a pine cone. The “apple” part was added to the name when it was introduced to England, to make the association with that particularly popular fruit.


Pineapple has been eaten for therapeutic reasons for centuries, in particular for digestive problems. An important active ingredient found mainly in the pineapple stem, is bromelain, a potent protein digesting enzyme which helps clean out waste in the digestive tract. Think of the traditional gammon steak and pineapple – the latter is not just there for taste, but to help digest the pork that it so difficult for humans to break down. Bromelain is often seen in commercial meat tenderisers. This property also helps to break down mucus in the body and bromelain in supplement form can be helpful in relieving symptoms of ear, nose and throat conditions, asthma and inflammatory conditions such as joint problems.

The high vitamin C and manganese content of pineapples make them highly supportive of immune system function, especially alongside bromelain, as effective anti-inflammatory foods. These nutrients also promote healthy collagen production and so help to heal all the tissues in your body; not bad as fresh pineapple tastes really fresh and juicy too!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my loyal readers. Hope you all take care of yourselves over the holidays. Remember it is okay to be active throughout the next several weeks. If you are generally active now you will feel better as you go into January.
Thinking of you all.
Charlene

Another wonderful Athena Networking Meeting in London

Choosing a Personal Trainer

Choosing a good Personal Trainer can be a bit like choosing a husband.
It’s important that you click with them, enjoy spending
lots of time with them and share the same goal – ie,
your fitness. If you’re going to be investing your time
and money into this long-term commitment, it’s important that
you shop around thoroughly before settling for the right one.
Here are some very important factors to take into consideration:
personality
If you click with someone initially this is a fairly good indicator
that you will work well together. If, after a few meetings, you feel
as though there is something not right, this isn’t the person for
you. You will be spending a good amount of time with your PT so
having a good working relationship will be important for you to
want to attend your sessions.
your personal programme
A “client-centred” programme is one of the most important
features you can look for when shopping around. This means
that the PT will do their utmost to assess your current fitness
condition, and formulate a programme exclusively for your
needs. A good PT with a client-centred programme will:
• offer a lifestyle assessment all about you
• have you fill out a PAR-Q form (Pre-participation questionnaire)
• ask you about specific goals and discuss how best to attain them
• do fitness and lifestyle tests with you, eg, blood pressure
reading, strength and/or cardiovascular testing,
measurements (All of these monitor your progress and can
help motivate you to see results and reach your goals)
• ask you what activities you like or dislike. Are they then
making you do activities you dislike? This will not help you to
adhere to a programme
• offer to set up programmes for you when you are away from
the gym or on holiday/business trips
• look at you as a whole person; eg, lifestyle, foods and
exercise
• offer to speak with other practitioners in your life, such as
your physiotherapist, GP, osteopath, massage therapist, etc
• communicate well with you and show up on time
location
If you already belong to a gym, look at the PT board and read about
each professional. The ones who have experience in the areas
you need help with will be a good start. If you don’t have gym
membership you may want a trainer who visits your home. A
good place to start is on the Register of Exercise Professionals
website in the UK or in your country a fitness association or register. You can also look on the net generally or find
advertisements in health and fitness magazines, but keep in mind
all of the above qualifications mentioned when shopping around.
education
Tertiary education is probably the most important box to tick. A
PT with a sports science or physical education degree means you
have someone with advanced training in anatomy, physiology and
other human studies essential for creating a safe and effective
programme. Having said this, there are many great trainers who
have taken other forms of professional qualifications.
training
Professional qualifications are shorter-term courses than tertiary
education degrees. If you choose a trainer with this type of
background, ensure the qualifications are the equivalent to an
NVQ Level 2 or above. Professional qualifications can come
from around the world. Some of the best are from America. The
NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) offers a
certified strength and conditioning specialist diploma as well as
other levels of certification. To take this course a trainer must
already have a degree. The ACSM (American College of Sports
Medicine) is another highly recommended certification.
cost
Ask about prices before you start, and make sure you’re
comfortable with what’s on offer. If you can only buy 30
sessions up front and there are no other choices, you may want
to look elsewhere. If they offer you different packages to suit
your needs then they are offering a good service.
Overall, you want someone with strong qualifications, a
personality that works well with yours, a convenient location
and an affordable cost scheme. If you choose carefully and
know exactly what to look for, you and your PT can achieve
excellent results, together.

Good luck with it and have fun on your new adventure.

Charlene